Always There When I Need You
by mudokonpops
Summary: Eli's situation was almost comedic. He was 15, forced to live a useless life, and stuck raising his own broken clone. / Domestic AU, Snake family with Liquid Snake's baby clone. Slow burn with some Kojima-esque plot points.


**i hope this story turns out to be enjoyable. shena is one of my favorite original characters of all time and though this will be a slow burn and dramatic kind of story, i want it to be sweet, wholesome and lots of fun. it is a domestic au! please enjoy & feel free to leave feedback!**

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Eli couldn't remember how he got here. He couldn't recall what led him to this point in time, to this spot on the floor, fighting the urge to rip hair from his head. There he sat, staring down at a pair of familiar eyes that were simultaneously tiny and yet almost too big for the face in which they were set.

Why did she always look at him like that?

"Can't you go play, or something?" Eli asked in a huff, as if he wasn't speaking to a 1 year old baby. Those eyes just blinked at him, not understanding. "Shena..." He practically growled.

"No?" It was more of a question than an answer, in that tiny, high-pitched baby voice. It made Eli's blood boil sometimes. He hated children, no matter how much he tried to tolerate this one.

"No... and why not? Look, _grandpa_ brought you _all_ those toys!" Despite his annoyance, the blonde boy really tried to speak kindly to the child, though a bit of venom leaked through.

"Dada?" She spoke in the same questioning voice, and reached a tiny, chubby hand to Eli's leg, placing it there. He fought the urge to smack it away from him.

" _No_ , Dada doesn't want to play! Fuck's sake, Shena!" He shouted. The baby recoiled only just a bit, her little brows furrowing. She never cried when he yelled at her, but somehow that sad look was even worse. Coupled with the breathing tubes stuffed in her nostrils, it was downright pathetic. Really, the young snake was tired. Taking care of the kid was more exhausting than most things he'd done in his life. She never left him alone, and she needed constant care, whether it was feeding or diaper changing, medication or just plain attention. Eli didn't want to put up with it - and it had only been about a month.

One month since his father destroyed the empire he worked so hard building up again. A real empire, an army, an organization, bigger and better than he could have ever hoped for in Africa. After he escaped with The Third Child, he'd fled to England, and then... It made him too livid to even think about at the moment. How Venom managed to ruin him once, and Big Boss ruined him again... when he was so close to bringing them both down for good. Now he was stuck here, in this house, in America, in the middle of nowhere, with his _stupid_ twin and this _needy_ baby.

Shena was the only thing left of that empire of his, and just looking at her now made Eli seethe with bitterness. It wasn't supposed to turn out like this. He had everything. More than just soldiers, he had geniuses, doctors, and scientists, and Reese. Reese... Shena didn't even have Reese's eyes. She had his eyes.

The teen fell into reminiscence as he watched the child crawl away from his hunched form. Reese had taken on everything from that project. She carried the heavy load, physical and emotional. When Shena was born, Eli barely ever had to see her. Shena took care of her, as did some of the others. Eli didn't have time for raising her, he'd focus on training her to be the world's deadliest soldier when she was finally old enough. That was the whole point, the entire plan. On the same evening that Reese had confronted him, they were attacked - blindsided. That was the end of it all, the end of everything. Everything except for Shena.

"You created this. She's your responsibility now. Don't let me catch you slipping up with her, or she's gone. I'll find her a new family." That's what Snake had told Eli after dragging him to the states an shoving him into this house in the woods. He sighed through his nose, running a hand through his hair to push it away from his face. It had gotten longer. The side door of the house slid open audibly and the blonde boy didn't need to look to know who it was. It was good timing, at least, so he could thrust Shena into his twin's hands for the time being.

"Hey -" David started, but was cut off immediately.

" _Finally_. Where were you? It doesn't matter. I'm leaving." Eli was on his feet and putting on his shoes by the door in seconds.

"Seriously...? Where are you going? What about Shena?"

"You take care of her."

"Maybe... you could take her with you. You know she'd really like -"

"Fuck off." With that, the door was slid shut again, much too hard. David blinked and shook his head, looking over into the far corner of the living room where Shena sat with a stuffed animal.

"Hi Shena." He greeted her softly. She didn't smile, but her voice sounded happy enough.

"Hi Sozzy."

Meanwhile, as David's twin crossed outside into the dense trees, he let out a snarling shout and violently swung at the nearest trunk. His situation was fucking comedic. He was 15, forced to live this useless life, and stuck raising his own broken clone.

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 **this first chapter is short, sorry! sorting things out on my end still. stick around!**


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